5th Annual Network Centric Operations
13 – 16 October, 2008, Hilton Hotel, Singapore
Day Four: Workshop - 16 October 2008
08:30 - 11:30 Workshop C: Achieving Integrated Network Centric Operations Capability at the Lower Tactical Level
Workshop strictly for military personnel and others at the discretion of Cisco.
Networking below Brigade can be difficult. Military forces around the globe have applied different networking paradigms with varying degrees of success to the issue of mobility at the lower tactical level. The fundamental reason for this limited success is that many of the desired tactical scenarios at this level require a network that can dynamically adjust through a spectrum of mobility ranging from relatively stable, almost enterprise like, to completely disrupted. This workshop will help you understand the issues associated with networking in the Lower Tactical Level (below Brigade), and propose some plausible solutions for IP based net-centric operations. We will look into the solutions that can help you become securely and dynamically interconnected today, and into the future, including:
i. Mobile Ad-Hoc Networking
ii. Disruption Tolerant Networking
iii. Sensor Networking
iv. Multiple Security Domains Networks
v. Border Security
vi. Video Surveillance
12:30 - 15:00 Workshop C: How standards are built in the Information Age and how to integrate Net Centric concepts
Armed Forces around the world are working closer together than ever before, making interoperability and the standardization of capabilities a key factor of force development. Where in the past this task was attributed to weapon systems and equipment, the digital age has meant that communications and emerging use of netcentric capabilities are two of the main areas that need to become interoperable. Following yesterday’s briefings by NATO and the conference roundtable on achieving netcentricity in coalition operations, Fred Stein will help you further investigate why it is important to set standards for your region and how this can be achieved in the Information age. What are the emerging standards for products and services that support net centric operations and netcentric development? This workshop will cover:
- Why standards are important in the network centric environment
- How to most effectively apply these standards
- The use of data products in the Information Age
- The purpose and advantages in utilizing communities of interest
- Infrastructure development
- Product and capability development
- Integration of the above in a network centric environment
- Future trends
About your workshop leader:
Colonel (Rt’d) Fred Stein
Senior principal engineer, NCW, Army Systems and Technology
MITRE
Colonel (Rt’d) Fred Stein is a Senior Principal Engineer for Network Centric Warfare at MITRE Corporation. He is a retired Army Colonel, who commanded from company through brigade and served as the J6 for Operation Support Hope in Rwanda and Operation Enduring Freedom in Bosnia. He served on the Joint Staff J6 as Deputy J6 and was part of the original team that initiated the NCW theory. He currently supports the Army G8, Office of Force Transformation and Electronic Systems Command. Among Fred’s accomplishments is the book, “Network Centric Warfare”, which he co-authored with two colleagues, David Alberts and John Garstka. As technology continues to evolve, Fred Stein remains on the cutting edge of his profession as he continues to seek out innovative ideas and concepts as they apply to supporting Commanders and Staffs.
15:30 - 18:00 Workshop D: Understanding the digital immigrants-digital natives divide and exploring the solutions that can be employed in order to close the digital gap
Whether you class yourself as a digital immigrant or a digital native, you are likely to face a very difficult challenge when looking to implement Information Age technologies and/or NCW Operations. Creating technological, generational, cultural and organizational barriers, the digital gap is one challenge that your organization must rise to.
After a short recapitulation of the presentation by Fred Stein on the immigrantsnatives distinction (please refer to the plenary sessions on day 1) this topic will be discussed in more depth as a new, but foreseeable structural phenomenon of the development of Network Enabled Capabilities. The development of the immigrants-natives distinction will be placed against the background of the development of modern operations.
At the core of the divide is a cultural trust issue. In light of the latest successful and less successful attempts to realize Network Enabled Capabilities a set of recommendations will be developed that provides actual and concrete solution directions for the immigrants-natives distinction.
Workshop participants will be invited to participate in realistic immigrantsnatives situations and will be supported to develop future road maps and ways ahead.
Both Fred Stein and Lex Bubbers have recent experiences in assessing the development of net-centricity of armed forces. They are looking forward to an interactive and intense post conference workshop that provides concrete answers to the delegates in their struggle with the digital immigrants-natives gap.
About your workshop leaders:
Colonel (Rt’d) Fred Stein, Senior principal engineer, NCW, Army Systems and Technology, MITRE and Lieutenant Colonel (Rt’d) Lex Bubbers, Director, Reinforce Netcentric Operations and former Project Manager, C2 Systems, Integrated Staff Information Systems, Royal Netherlands Army
Lieutenant Colonel (Rt’d) Lex Bubbers was project manager of the Royal Netherlands Army RNLA) C2 System Integrated Staff Information System (ISIS) from 1997-2001. In this function he was responsible for the evolutionary development and fielding of the C2 System in the RNLA and in NATO.
He led approximately 20 fieldings of ISIS, of which the last one took place in ACE Mobile Force Land, a highly mobile force within SHAPE. The Network Centric Warfare concept, developed by the J6 Joint Staff (Pentagon), has been practiced and enhanced by the practical experiences during those fieldings.
Since 2001 Lex has started Reinforce Netcentric Operations. Reinforce Netcentric Operations is a leading consultancy firm in the field of Network Centric Warfare and Operations. It has a unique experience in the design, development and implementation of Command and Control solutions, supporting organizations in their Information Age Transformation processes.
On behalf of the Allied Command Transformation Lex has supported the NNEC assessments of the NATO Response Force. Currently Lex supports MoDs with the development of NEC concepts for the peacetime environment.
Colonel (Rt’d) Fred Stein’s newest interest is in trying to understanding the cultural shifts occurring in the Information Age and how they impact the current set of decision makers. He has presented on this subject in India, Brussels (NATO NC3A), Prague, Japan and Singapore. He also has a Blog entitled “Confessions of a Digital Immigrate” Fred is a Digital Immigrant trying to understand this new generation in the new age.
For Colonel (Rt’d) Fred Stein’s full biography, please look at workshop C.